Chapter 45: Reporting to the Official 1/3

After Zhu Xunmiao and Li Qingzhi left the banquet, Hong Hui followed, intending to talk to Zhu Xunmiao.

Hong Hui’s proactive friendship with Zhu Xunmiao had a reason behind it.

Hong Hui’s great-grandfather had passed the imperial examination and risen to the rank of a third-ranking official. Although Hong Hui’s grandfather and father were not as successful, they were both scholars. The Hong family was highly respected in Chongcheng County.

Unfortunately, Hong Hui’s grandfather was not good at managing finances, and his father was even worse. Now, the Hong family was just a facade.

But for the sake of face, they had to work hard to maintain this facade!

For example, they used to host Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gatherings every year. Even though they didn’t have money now, they still had to find a way to organize it.

But where would the money come from?

Hong Hui’s great-grandfather liked to collect antique calligraphies and paintings. They used to have many valuable collections in their storage room, but they had already been sold off.

Although Hong Hui was young, he had to plan for himself and the future of the Hong family.

Passing the imperial examinations was the most important, and even if he only passed the provincial examination, it would give the Hong family some relief.

In addition to this, he tried to create a good reputation for himself, make friends with all sorts of people, and secretly find ways to make money.

Hong Hui befriended Zhu Xunmiao because Zhu Xunmiao was wealthy.

A few days ago, he had asked Zhu Xunmiao how to prepare for the poetry gathering, requesting his help to find some chrysanthemums and seeking advice on which drinks and snacks to serve…

Then Zhu Xinmiao sent him the chrysanthemums and drinks, and snacks and refused to accept payment.

This poetry gathering had cost them almost nothing, and Hong Hui had received many gifts.

Thinking of the benefits of befriending Zhu Xunmiao, Hong Hui followed him after he left the banquet. However, Zhu Xunmiao didn’t go to the restroom but instead headed to the courtyard where his younger brother lived.

Everyone knew about Hong Hui, the eldest son of the Hong family, but few knew that there was another son in the Hong family, and Hong Hui himself felt ashamed to mention his younger brother.

Hong Hui’s younger brother was named Hong Zhao. When he was born, he didn’t seem much different from ordinary children, but as he grew up, the Hong family realized that something was wrong.

Hong Zhao was extremely dull; he could barely understand what people said, and if not careful, he would scream and hit people.

At first, Hong Hui’s mother took care of him with all her motherly love, but later on, she couldn’t stand it anymore and handed him over to the servants.

But he was still their own child, and Hong Hui’s mother would visit him every day, caring about his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Although the Hong family wasn’t as wealthy as before, they could still afford to raise a child like Hong Zhao.

Hong Zhao was usually quiet, but when he was unhappy, he would cry loudly and cause trouble.

Hong Zhao’s troublesome behavior had caused disturbances in the Hong family. As he grew older, his punches started to hurt. He constantly wanted to leave the house and would scream if unable to do so.

During that period, the Hong family frequently heard his screams, disrupting the peace of the entire household. Hong Hui was particularly annoyed, leading him to move to the county town.

Two months ago, a servant who took care of Hong Zhao retaliated when struck, accidentally injuring Hong Zhao. Hong Hui’s mother was furious and punished the servant severely, replacing her with another, more agreeable maid.

Around the same time, a relative brought two children to the Hong family. Hong Hui’s mother noticed a change in Hong Zhao’s behavior when he saw children around his age. Despite his speech difficulties, he seemed to desire companionship.

Immediately, Hong Hui’s mother arranged for a suitable servant to be a playmate for Hong Zhao. She insisted that the servant be close in age to Hong Zhao, well-behaved, and capable of taking care of him while keeping him company.

Before long, they found a candidate who fit the criteria.

Hong Zhao indeed enjoyed having a playmate, but his behavior resembled that of a child just learning to walk, lacking proper guidance. Occasionally, during their play, he would erupt in anger, resorting to physical aggression against those around him.

The newly appointed servant endured occasional beatings.

However, with the new playmate, Hong Zhao became less inclined to run away or scream. The household found some relief, choosing to overlook his violent behavior.

When Hong Hui discovered that Zhu Xunmiao went to his brother’s courtyard, he became worried. He feared that Zhu Xunmiao, upon learning about his brother’s condition, might spread the information. His concerns deepened as he saw the scene in the courtyard: the injured servant lying on the ground, and the thin scholar who came with Zhu Xunmiao being pressed and beaten by his brother.

Hong Hui, being sharp-witted, quickly deduced the situation. Most likely, Zhu Xunmiao had seen his brother beating the servant, and being the young and spirited person he was, he had intervened.

Knowing that their family’s tolerance for Hong Zhao’s violent behavior might garner criticism if widely known, Hong Hui felt a sense of urgency to handle the situation.

Hong Hui glanced at Xu Qifei and the other scholar who followed him, then took the initiative to question Zhu Xunmiao about why he had beaten his brother.

Zhu Xunmiao’s intervention when his brother was beating someone and their intrusion into the Hong family’s backyard had vastly different implications for the Hong family’s reputation.

Hong Hui intended to frame the incident as Zhu Xunmiao bullying his brother to prevent it from escalating.

However, his plans were thwarted when his brother abruptly broke the scholar’s arm.

If his brother hadn’t injured the scholar, Hong Hui could have easily blamed Zhu Xunmiao and resolved the matter quietly. After all, Zhu Xunmiao and his companion had intruded into their backyard first.

But now… his brother had broken someone’s arm!

Hong Hui rushed forward to pull his brother away, then immediately apologized without hesitation: “Xunmiao, I’m truly sorry. My brother’s mental state is like that of a child…”

Zhu Xunmiao was gentle by nature and conducted himself with maturity under Zhu Qian’s guidance. However, being only fifteen years old, he had been sheltered and privileged all his life.

Suddenly being attacked and bitten, Zhu Xunmiao retreated a few steps after Hong Zhao was pulled away, clutching his injured arm with a look of dismay: “Your brother is not normal. Why don’t you take better care of him? If we hadn’t intervened in time, this child might have been killed!”

At that moment, Zhu Xunmiao noticed the state of Li Qingzhi’s injuries. Seeing that Li Qingzhi’s right arm had been broken, he ran to his side, his voice trembling with concern: “Brother Li! Are you okay?!”

Zhu Xunmiao’s eyes turned red, and his voice trembled with a touch of tears.

Li Qingzhi felt a bit embarrassed. He was fine, and he had even intentionally broken his arm. But it was clear that everyone thought he was injured.

Seeing the injured scholar and Li Qingzhi, both of whom looked younger than ten, and then looking at Li Qingzhi, whose arm had been broken, Zhu Xunmiao suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.